


Do You Want Your Cat Back?

by madtransscientist



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Happy Ending, Includes Art, M/M, Oneshot, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Tsukkiyama Zine, and a cat. bringing these morons together, ftm Yamaguchi, headcanon the cat does it on purpose, plants!! lots of plants, trans!yamaguchi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-23 11:23:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11988789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madtransscientist/pseuds/madtransscientist
Summary: Kei has a cat - and, apparently, so does the neighbour Yamaguchi. None of the two know that they're unintentionally sharing the same cat.





	Do You Want Your Cat Back?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my ficlet contribution to the [_Tsukkiyama Zine_](http://tsukkiyamazine.tumblr.com/) and I'm so very happy to have gotten the chance to participate. Enjoy this fluffy fluffness featuring a cat!!
> 
> (Update: artists [_frenchpressplease_](http://frenchpressplease.tumblr.com/) and [_yankasmiles_](http://yankasmiles.tumblr.com/) have generously given me permission to include their art in this fic so the fluff is now upgraded by about ten billion. Further info in end notes.)

_Meow_.

Kei’s vision of his laptop is blocked by a black cat walking right across his keyboard and sitting down. Rendered incapable of proceeding his writing he frowns at the creature’s expectant eyes.

“I already gave you food,” he says in a monotone, a futile attempt to get the black cat to leave him alone for a little while longer so he can finish this paragraph. Kuro doesn’t budge, though.

Kei sighs, annoyed to admit he has a hard time resisting those big eyes looking at him like he can give her the world. He stands, making his way over to the pantry to get Kuro some kibble. However, looking through the pantry finds him none, and with a frown he remembers having ran out of it the other day, but had been too tired to remember to go grocery shopping.

Kuro is rubbing herself against his leg and meowing quietly. Kei looks over to his laptop by the open balcony door, then down at Kuro again. He only mulls it over for a few seconds before he heads to the front door, grabbing his keys and wallet and disappears out the door.

—

Upon returning Kei is carrying two plastic bags worth of cat food, and as he toes off his shoes he absentmindedly calls Kuro’s name.

There is no answer though, and stepping into the apartment properly finds him without the company of the cat—again. He’s not surprised, as she comes and goes as she pleases, most definitely formerly a stray city cat. He uses formerly because now she’s practically his, but he’s not certain of her background, because one day she had just shown up and stayed. She demands attention, feeds off him and sleeps on his furniture, so he guesses it’s safe to say she’s living with him now. Although, lately she’s been absent for longer periods of time.

It’s not something that bothers Kei, he’s mostly just curious what Kuro might be doing away for so long. Either way he knows she’s doing fine.

—

Kuro comes back a week later and the first thing she does is go to sleep on his bed. Kei is slightly perplexed, because usually she never gets enough of his attention and will demand being pet whenever they’re in the same room. But this time she just straight up ignores him when she comes in through the balcony door, not even asking for food.

Kei ponders over it for about a minute before returning to his book, and doesn’t think on it again.

A week later she’s gone again. This time Kei doesn’t even dwell on it, having gotten used to Kuro’s new habits. He barely even takes note of her absence; he only grabs his afternoon coffee and goes out to his balcony to relax in the sun. It isn’t something he always enjoys doing; it gets too hot and he doesn’t like the sun in his eyes. He mostly keeps doing it from time to time because of his neighbour, living in the flat next to the one underneath him. He’s really nothing special, but there’s still something about him pulling Kei back outside in hopes of seeing him again.

Kei doesn’t know much about him except for what he’s learned by watching the other man for months. He knows his name is Yamaguchi, that he has a lot of plants on his balcony, and he’s always either humming or singing stupid, sometimes even annoying, songs from musicals. He appears to get stressed easily, he likes bright, pastel colours and has a soft, soothing voice.

Yamaguchi has noticed Kei too whenever they happen to find themselves on their respective balconies at the same time. They have had their fair share of glances at one another and usually Yamaguchi seems too insecure to acknowledge it with a greeting gesture and Kei simply doesn’t care to. However, one morning when Kei had brought his coffee outside before he’d even put on his glasses and he was still in his dinosaur t-shirt, Yamaguchi’s glance had lingered on him. When Kei had looked over, he had stuttered out a “G-good morning,” before hurrying back inside, cheeks pink.

As soon as Kei steps out he looks down toward Yamaguchi’s balcony through habit, not really expecting to find him there, but stops dead in his tracks when he does. It’s not really Yamaguchi that makes him stop; it’s the company Yamaguchi is keeping that startles him. With him, in his lap, is a black cat— _his_ black cat—and Yamaguchi is petting her and talking to her as though it’s something he’s used to doing.

“You were gone for quite a while this time, weren’t you?” says Yamaguchi softly as he scratches Kuro’s neck. Kuro pushes into the touch and Kei’s eyebrow twitches upward; Kuro seems completely at ease. “Where do you even go every time?”

It’s then that the black cat seems to have had enough of being outside, and jumps off Yamaguchi’s lap. She casually strides into the boy’s apartment and Yamaguchi laughs. 

As Yamaguchi, too, disappears into the flat Kei retreats back into his, feeling rather unconcerned about the odd thing he’d just witnessed. He doesn’t know what his cat does all the time, but if she’s with Yamaguchi at least he knows that she’s safe; the boy looks like he couldn’t even harm a fly.

—

Kei leans over the railing of his balcony with a cup in his hand and studies Yamaguchi watering his plants, meanwhile humming something that sounds like ABBA. It’s not exactly early, and yet it looks like Yamaguchi just woke up. His hair is a mess and it looks like he’s just gotten out of bed and thrown on a pastel pink sweater that is decidedly too large for him, as it is nearly slipping off one of his freckled shoulders. It also appears as though he hasn’t put on a binder yet, something Kei only briefly takes note of but doesn’t really care about.

Usually Yamaguchi appears to be wearing a binder, but there are times when he doesn’t, like when he’s wearing large clothes or going outside to throw out the trash or water his plants. Kei had once gotten back from class when Yamaguchi was out having a conversation with their landlord in only a sweater and some slacks, and their landlord had referred to Yamaguchi as a woman. Even though Kei had just been passing through, the way Yamaguchi had tensed up in discomfort and crossed his arms over his chest had not gone lost on him. He’d heard Yamaguchi correct their landlord a moment later though, and the landlord had apologised profusely.

Despite Yamaguchi’s current haphazard appearance, he still manages to look captivatingly cute and it’s still annoyingly difficult for Kei to look away.

When Kuro jumps into view from the fire escape he finds himself averting his eyes though, gaze following his cat while she makes her way to Yamaguchi. She walks along the railing and steps in between plants in front of the freckled boy to get his attention. At the sight of her Yamaguchi lights up and pauses his watering in order to reach out and pet her.

“Hey, Garfield,” he says, voice chipper and Kei blinks.

Then, a snort he couldn’t possible suppress tumbles out of him, and with a raised eyebrow he questions, loud enough to be heard, “ _Garfield?_ ”

His amusement only increases when Yamaguchi’s eyes widen and he looks up, right at Kei, cheeks already a bright red. Kei is openly smirking right back at him when he inquires incredulously, “You named her Garfield? She’s female _and_ black.”

Yamaguchi’s face scrunches up in confusion momentarily, then he says, “I couldn’t think of anything else, and it’s cute.”

Kei scoffs. “Her name is Kuro.”

Now it’s Yamaguchi’s turn to snort, and Kei blinks at him in surprise. “ _Kuro_? … You’ve literally just named her ‘black’.”

“It’s simple and obvious. At least it fits.” Kei is _not_ feeling grumpy over Yamaguchi’s raised, teasing eyebrow. Kuro is a suitable name for a completely black cat.

“Alright.” Yamaguchi’s amused expression transforms into something more bashful, and he flicks his gaze to Kuro. “Ah, do you want her back? I can bring her up to you, uh… ”

“Tsukishima Kei,” Kei offers quickly, “and no, that’s not—”

“I’ll come right away,” Yamaguchi says, almost… excitedly?

Kei wants to save him the trouble and say that it’s not necessary at all, but Yamaguchi has already carried Kuro inside. Kei sighs and backs away from the railing, but something in his stomach flutters from anticipation at finally meeting the man he’s been pathetically admiring from afar for months.

Not long after Yamaguchi disappeared there’s a faint knocking on the door. Kei blatantly ignores his stomach doing flips as he opens the door to reveal a disheveled Yamaguchi with an armful of impatient Kuro.

“—arfield, this is my favourite sweater,” accuses Yamaguchi with a defeated sigh, not having seen that Kei’s opened the door yet, appearing to struggle with keeping Kuro steady in his arms. As soon as he looks up to find Kei in the doorway his whole face lights up and Kei blinks, wondering if he imagined it.

He certainly doesn’t imagine the colour rising in Yamaguchi’s cheeks as his words seem to get stuck in his throat, though.

“A-ah,” Yamaguchi finally manages, then thrusts Kuro out toward him, “here. Sorry for the inconvenience, I didn’t know she belonged to someone.”

Kei slowly plucks Kuro out of Yamaguchi’s extended hands. “It’s fine, I really don’t ca—”

“I swear it won’t happen again!” Yamaguchi practically throws himself into a full bow now that his arms are empty, startling Kei into taking a step back and pinch his eyebrows together. He stifles the urge to reach out and manhandle Yamaguchi into a proper standing position because he doesn’t want anyone bowing to him, especially not over something like this. Especially not Yamaguchi.

“Okay,” he says in a monotone, his face back to its normal flat expression. He puts Kuro down and she rushes into the apartment as Yamaguchi peeks through the mass of dark green hair hanging in front of his face, and upon seeing Kei’s indifferent expression straightens up again. His hand flies up to his neck as the colour on his cheeks turn a darker shade and he gives a nervous laugh.

Kei will deny thinking the gesture is even remotely cute to his death.

“Okay,” Yamaguchi echoes, albeit more unsure. He drops his hand from his neck and takes a step back, “Well, I better go. See you ‘round, Tsukki!”

Yamaguchi is out of sight so fast Kei doesn’t even have a chance to question the nickname, and is left with his mouth slightly agape and heart going at an alarming rate in his chest.

— 

One and a half week later Kei steps out on his balcony and nearly drops his coffee when there’s immediately a shout of his name. 

Well. A version of his name.

He sets his coffee down on the balcony table and approaches the railing, glaring down at Yamaguchi. 

“Good morning, Tsukki!” the freckled boy calls, looking far more awake than he had the last time Kei saw him.

In response Kei only grunts, newly woken himself, hoping Yamaguchi will state his business in a quick fashion.

“Ah, Garfield is here again.”

Kei isn’t surprised, but is too tired to even bat an eye.

“I’ll come up with her, just let me—“ Yamaguchi starts turning around, obviously looking for the black cat and suddenly Kei is wide awake. It’s one thing shouting from their balconies to each other but a whole other to actually properly meet in person again. The butterflies in his stomach are definitely aware of this.

“No,” he says, loud enough to get Yamaguchi’s attention, “that’s unnecessary.”

“What? But Tsukki, she’s your cat, it’s rude of me to keep her here—”

“Fine. I’ll come down.”

Two minutes later Kei is at Yamaguchi’s door, staring at the nameplate that reads _Yamaguchi Tadashi_. He knocks twice before stepping back, knowing full well he doesn’t give one crap about Kuro living off of Yamaguchi but tries to tell himself he’s here because maybe Yamaguchi does. But in truth he knows that even if Yamaguchi did have a problem with Kuro, that would not be enough for him to go out of his way to get her.

Yamaguchi opens the door, and the sight of dark skin peppered with freckles and that nervous smile almost makes Kei go straight back home to lie down. He can’t deal with the urge to just trace those freckles with his fingers.

Yamaguchi shoves Kuro into his arms before he can do any of those things, though. His cheeks are slightly pink, and just like last time he looks bashful and guilty. He doesn’t bow again, for which Kei is very grateful.

“I can’t believe I left my coffee to go cold for this,” he mutters, knowing he’s being melodramatic but unable to care, because he just woke up and had to leave his apartment before getting any caffeine in his system.

Yamaguchi seems to perk up at that. “I have coffee. Just brewed it, too. If… If you wanna come in?”

Kei just looks at Yamaguchi for a couple of moments, considering the offer. Mostly he’s just trying to convince himself he doesn’t desperately want to, but when Kuro starts to try and _claw_ out of his arms he gives in. “Sure.”

Yamaguchi looks nothing short of surprised, and Kei can’t suppress the smug curl of his lips as he steps inside. He pretends his heart doesn’t flip in response to the pure, unadulterated delight appearing on Yamaguchi’s face.

They end up sitting on Yamaguchi’s balcony with a cup each, Yamaguchi speaking occasionally and seeming unconcerned when all Kei can muster are grunts or one-word sentences in response. He’s already feeling strangely at home here, content with drinking Yamaguchi’s coffee and listening to him softly hum a song as Kei gradually wakes up. At one point Kuro makes her way over the railing to the fire escape, climbing the stairs up to Kei’s apartment.

Kei frowns. “I’m starting to think it’s me she has a problem with.”

Yamaguchi laughs, a warm, hearty laugh that engulfs Kei in the desire to never be away from him again.

—

After that, small plants and flowers start appearing on Kei’s balcony, along with notes indicating that they’re from Yamaguchi. The notes are short, saying things like, ‘I thought you could use some colour up there!!’ but makes Kei’s heart flip every time. The plants are colourful, exactly what you’d expect from Yamaguchi, and he likes them, but doesn’t say anything. He does, however, start taking his time in watering them properly, feeling oddly protective over them.

Both Yamaguchi and Kei start using Kuro as a reason for Kei to come over and it becomes a habit for Kei to drink his morning coffee at Yamaguchi’s at least three times a week, always “because he needs to come get Kuro”. Kei starts noticing the lack of CDs in Yamaguchi’s apartment, and is slightly surprised by it considering Yamaguchi’s obsession with musicals.

That’s how Kei starts leaving CDs from different musicals he knows of on Yamaguchi’s balcony, and Yamaguchi starts looking at Kei with such adoration it makes Kei’s whole body feel like it’s on fire. He always pretends he doesn’t see it.

It feels nice to have developed a habit like this with Yamaguchi, and Kei is hit by how grossly domestic they sometimes are. Kei will leave some of his cat food at Yamaguchi’s and brings his laptop or books over sometimes. He’s grown used to Yamaguchi’s presence and is surprised to find himself wanting more of it.

Kei can’t tell when their friendship starts developing into something more; when falling asleep leaning on each other on the couch during a movie became something that feels natural, when Kei starts spending several days in Yamaguchi’s flat with Kuro without even thinking about it.

He knows that he’s completely, utterly, _pathetically_ in love with Yamaguchi, and he’s quite sure that it’s reciprocated. Still, he finds himself restless staring too often at Yamaguchi’s lips but not knowing if he’s allowed to kiss them or not. So one day he goes to buy tickets for a musical that is in town, one he knows about solely because Yamaguchi has been whining about not having the money to go to. At home, he finds Yamaguchi on his own balcony with Kuro, and Kei immediately climbs over his railing and heads down the staircase of the fire escape. 

Yamaguchi spots him when he’s by the railing, his whole face lighting up with a blinding smile. “Tsukki, hi!”

In lieu of a greeting Kei pulls the two tickets into view as Yamaguchi walks over with Kuro. “I have tickets for that musical you’re always whining about. Do you wanna go?”

Yamaguchi’s eyes widen and Kuro wriggles out of his arms to sit on the railing, Kei instinctively raising his hand to pet her. 

“Tsukki, you know I can’t pay for that,” Yamaguchi says sadly, looking down at Kei’s hand scratching Kuro’s neck.

Kei sighs loudly. “You’re not supposed to, stupid, that’s not how dates work.”

Yamaguchi snaps his head up, eyes even wider and filled with such hope it makes Kei’s stomach churn.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Kei only gets a quick glance of the pure happiness twisting Yamaguchi’s features into something absolutely _angelic_ before there are lips upon his and hands in his shirt pulling him closer.

He kisses back before he even realises he’s doing it, and the railing is pressing into his abdomen uncomfortably while Kuro is clawing at his shirt, and he should be bothered by it but Yamaguchi’s wide smile against his lips is contagious and frankly, makes it all worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> i want to also mention [Oakey](http://craptain-oak.tumblr.com/) as an amazing advisor for the idea of this ficlet!! she's helped me a bunch, kudos to her. (her [AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/craptain_jerk/).)
> 
> The first and the last artworks are beautifully made by [_frenchpressplease_](http://frenchpressplease.tumblr.com/) whilst the adorable plant+note one is made by [_yankasmiles_](http://yankasmiles.tumblr.com/), who also has an AO3 [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skell/works).


End file.
